Barista Competitions

A barista is a person who prepares coffee drinks in aroasts, syrups, steaming and frothing milk and using
coffee house as his or her profession and especiallyall sorts of ingredients and flavours that turn their
strives to create the perfect espresso. The baristabeverages into savory works of art. The baristas can
possesses extensive knowledge on different kinds ofspend even months to invent this perfect drink that
beans and roasts and has the technical skills requiredcan bring them the victory in a competition.
to master the espresso machine.Here are some examples of drinks that barista
Baristas consider the extraction of coffee as art andchampions have invented:
they actually perform in front of their customers* Troels Poulsen, the 2005 World Barista
each time they prepare an espresso, a cappuccino, aChampionship winner, created a drink called ESB, as in
caffe latte or a caffe mocha. However, if they wish"enhanced sensory balance" by combining melted
for larger audience and consider themselves as reallypepper-gel, espresso and lavender syrup.
talented they can consider competing in barista* Phuong Tran, the 2005 USA Barista Champion, was
competitions. These events take place every yearinspired by her childhood in creating the Crimson
and they are held at local and national levels. TheSage, a drink made of sugar cane juice, white pepper
ultimate title to win is the World Barista Champion.powder and steamed milk infused with sage leaves.
The World Barista Championship was first held inShe said that as a child she loved drinking sugar cane
2000 in Monte Carlo and it became quickly a publicjuice with ice and she always dreamed of using it in a
event where the best baristas from differentdrink.
countries battled for espresso making supremacy.* Sammy Piccolo, the 2004 Canadian Barista
The World Barista Championship takes place everyChampionship winner, created "Insieme" by using raw
year in a different country and the competitors aresugar, egg yolks, curry, bittersweet chocolate and
the winners of the national barista competitions.milk.
In the United States the Specialty Coffee Association* Bronwen Serna, USA Barista Champion of 2004,
of America (SCAA) hosts several local baristaentitled her signature drink "Sweetness" because the
competitions. There are ten regions, and each statemain "secret" ingredient was honey. She also used
has been assigned to a region. Local competitions aredark chocolate powder and served it with a dark
sponsored by businesses, and the winner of each ofchocolate square.
the local events has the chance to try to impress theBaristas train hard for these competitions, especially if
jury at the US Barista Championship. There are manythey have the chance to participate in the World
barista competitions in Europe and the UnitedBarista Championship. They try to bring to perfection
Kingdom. Canada, Australia and Central America alsotheir technique and put together their program as
have barista competitions at the local, regional andduring the competition everything has to work
national levels.smoothly, no glitches are allowed. They can actually
In a barista competition the judges have to assessbe compared to athletes rehearsing for the Olympic
both the competitors and the coffee drinks theygames as some of them even have coaches that
make. The criteria based on which they score eachsometimes play the role of judges in preparation for
barista involve the quality and taste of the beverage,the competition.
personal presentation, technique and also theBarista training
presentation of the coffee drink.Well, perhaps after reading about the competition
The baristas race against the clock as they are onlyrequirements it might be wise to brush up a bit on
allowed to perform for 15 minutes. They also have 15your skills. There are several ways to either get basic
minutes before the actual presentation to prepareskills training as a barista or enhance your existing
with every detail for the show - ingredients likeskills:
syrups, chocolate sprinkles or anything that you can* Books and manuals. There are many books or
think of except alcohol, cups, trays, blenders, mixersmanuals available that take you step by step through
and portable burners. Contenders even roast theirthe processes of making an espresso, a cappuccino
own coffee and bring it with them at theand other specialty coffee drink. The drawback is
competition. After serving their drinks, baristas havethat you only have still pictures to look at which may
15 minutes to clean their station before they makemake it difficult for beginners to see the details of
room for another contestant. The espresso machinesthe methods.
used in the competition are key to the taste of the* Videos. These provide both visual modeling as well
coffee. The machines must be left absolutely cleanas commentary on how to produce the perfect cup
and free from any impurities.of espresso.
During the 15 minute performance interval baristas* Training classes. There are training locations in most
have to prove their skills by preparing 4 espressos, 4areas that offer courses that range from three hours
cappuccinos and 4 signature drinks. Four sensoryto a full day on learning the secrets of a barista.
judges that have to decide on the quality of theMany of these programs also deal with how to care
drinks sample each one of the beverages. Whilefor the espresso machine and offer a certificate
preparing the beverages, the baristas have toupon completion.
present their work, give details about the ingredients* Hands-on. Some experienced barista will offer
they used to the audience and also treat the judgespersonal training or mentoring for those interested in
as customers in a coffee shop. One can only imaginebecoming a barista or in improving their skills.
the stress.Whatever you decide to do, if you have a talent for
After the espressos and cappuccinos, which aremaking a great cup of espresso you should consider
finished with latte art - complicate designs drawnentering a barista competition. You will meet other
atop the cup with foamed milk by using the pitcher,people that share your passion for coffee and will
the time comes for the signature drink. It is thecertainly get some new ideas to try in your coffee
competitor's original creation and this is whereshop.
baristas reveal their creativity and skills combining